Send Money Overseas

How to Send Money to Kenya Cheaply

Information verified correct on December 10th, 2016

Learn how to send money to Kenya so you can connect with friends and family

Do you want to send money to friends or family in Kenya? You can do it, but choices are limited due to the exotic status of the Kenyan currency. Most mainstream banking institutions don’t allow transfers between Australian and Kenyan bank accounts. Look towards a money transfer company like WorldRemit, Western Union or MoneyGram. They let you send money to Kenya in minutes.

If you need to send money to Kenya, give our page a read for a comparison of the different companies that offer this service.

Comparison of services which allow you to send money overseas to Kenya

The table below shows the different services you can use to send money overseas to Kenya. You can sort products using the table headings, and if you’d like to read more about a product, you can click ‘More info’, or ‘Go to Site’ if you’d like to register and open an account.

Rates last updated December 10th, 2016

Transfer amount

Sending from

ToSending to

Min. Transfer Amount

Transfer Speed

Services

Online Transfer Fee

Rate

Amount Received

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Banks vs money transfer companies

If you want to send money to Kenya, double check with your banking institution first. Some banks don’t offer electronic fund transfers to Kenyan bank accounts. This was a problem for Abasi. He wanted to send money regularly to his family in Nairobi. He found a bank that does allow transfers to Kenya and compared their deal to a money transfer company.

How to compare transfer companies when transferring money to Kenya

If you want to send money to Kenya, make sure you have a look at the following information when you get your quote on the funds transfer.

The exchange rate. The exchange rate is a hot point of comparison between international money transfer providers. You can have a look at the rate when you get your quote on the funds transfer. In basic terms this means how many Kenyan Shillings you’re going to get for every Australian dollar you send to Kenya.

Transfer fees. Each provider will charge a fee for your money transfer to Kenya. Fees vary depending on how you want to send the funds. For example cash transfers are priced differently to mobile payments. Like the exchange rate, you’re advised of any fees when you get the quote for the transfer.

Collection methods. Different companies offer different options for receiving the funds. Some companies like Western Union offer bank transfers, cash collection and mobile payments, while other institutions will only allow a bank to bank transfer.

Transfer methods. How can you send the funds? Most transfers are handled online nowadays, the system has been set up to make it easy to send money to Kenya. But you can still send cash in person by visiting a outlet, Western Union by far have the largest network of business who act as agents and representatives of Western Union and their services.

Transfer options. Do you need to make a regular payment or do you only need to make a one-off funds transfer?

Minimum transfer amounts. How much do you need to send? While the upper limit is generally of no concern to most people, if you’re looking to carry out a small transaction, you should compare money transfer companies based on the minimum transaction allowed. Some companies have no minimum transfer amount but they do charge a fee if you’re sending under a certain amount.

Customer service. Is speaking to someone to help you through the process something that’s important to you? Some companies pride themselves on their achievements with customer service and their willingness to go the extra mile for their customers. Consider this when comparison money transfer companies.

How to send money to Kenya from Australia

The choice of banks that let you send money to Kenya is limited. Check with your financial institution to see whether they offer money transfers to a Kenyan bank account.

Worldremit. Worldremit are a speciality money transfer company. Like Western Union and Moneygram, there are fees when you send money to Kenya, but the first transfer is free with Worldremit. They have a good reviews for their customer service, and there’s an easy to use smartphone application, which makes sending money to Kenya a breeze. With WorldRemit, you can send money from bank account to bank account, cash pickup transfers and mobile money transfers.

Citibank One financial institution that lets you send money to a Kenyan bank account is Citibank. Although not one of the countries on the free global transfer list at Citibank, you can send money to Kenya from your Citibank Plus account for free. Transfers can take up to five business days.

Western union. Send money to Kenya with Western Union. You can send money to a bank account, pay someone using their mobile phone number of you can arrange for a cash pickup. There’s a fee for this service, but unlike bank to bank transfers, the money can be ready in minutes.

MoneyGram. MoneyGram operate in a similar fashion to Western Union. The main point of difference with these two companies in Kenya is that Western Union hs a larger number of cash collection points.

Emergency cash transfers to Kenya

In the event of an emergency it’s possible to get cash to Kenya in a matter of minutes. Companies like WorldRemit let you send money to Kenya almost instantly. There are a couple of options if you need emergency access to cash:

An emergency cash advance. Visa, MasterCard and American Express will give you an emergency cash advance if your cards are lost or stolen and you’re unable to access the funds in your account. Give your bank and the card scheme a call and they’ll let you know a merchant close to your location where you can collect the funds.

Money transfer service with cash pickup. International money transfer services like Western Union, MoneyGram and WorldRemit let you transfer to merchants, cash collection agencies and banks in a matter of minutes. You can send the money to Kenya from the company’s website, it’s safe, easy and quick.

Cash pickup locations in Kenya

There are over a thousand different Western Union cash collection outlets where you can send money to Kenya.

Be aware that the size of the transfer, differences in time zones and other transaction specific conditions will determine where the cash can be collected from. For example, a foreign exchange bureau may be the only place that has enough money to honour your transaction.

The numbers for the merchants where cash can be collected are listed on the moneygram and Western Union websites. It may be a good idea to give the business a call before you go in to make sure you will be able to get the cash when you come in. They also may be able to advise you if there are any security protocols that need to be observed.

Kenya Post Office, Makueni Branch.

Tips for collecting cash in Kenya

Australians travelling to Kenya need to pay attention to their personal security. Westerners have been victim to kidnappings and robbery in Kenya, especially in the capital, Nairobi.

In their last travel update for Kenya, The Department of Foreign Affairs and Trade said Australians visiting Kenya should exercise a high degree of caution. DFAT suggests Australians who plan to visit the Nairobi and Mombasa region, including Diani Beach, Lamu county and parts of Tana River county should reconsider their need to travel.

If you’re going to collect a large amount of cash , and you’re concerned for your safety, it’s a good idea to give the business where you’re collecting your cash a call first to discuss whether security precautions are necessary. A registered taxi to and from the cash collection point is advisable, as well as travelling in a group.

How to send money to Kenya

The process for sending money to Kenya is a little different depending on the method you use.

Bank transfers.

If you want to send the money to a bank account in Kenya from your bank account in Australia, you’ll need the recipient’s bank account details and details of their banking institution like the SWIFT code or IBN. International fund transfers from your bank account are done through your online banking facility.

Cash collection.

If you want to send cash for the person to collect, you just need to provide their full name, and all they need is the Money Transfer Control Number (MTCN), which is provided to you once the transaction is confirmed.

To a mobile phone.

Money transfer companies like Western Union also let you send money to a person’s mobile phone in Kenya. The recipient must have an activated Safaricom M-PESA Mobile Wallet. You need their Safaricom mobile phone number and their receiver’s full name to complete a transfer this way.

Before you can send money to Kenya using a service like WorldRemit, you need to create an account. This is a pretty straightforward process, you’re required to provide the following details about yourself.

Full name.

Email address.

Residential address.

You may also be asked to verify your identity by inputting your driver’s licence.

If you want to send money to friends, family or anyone in Kenya, a specialist money transfer company like WorldRemit, Western Union or MoneyGram gives you a few different ways to complete the transfer. Compare these companies based on their exchange rate and the fees for the transfer. If you have any questions about how to send money to Kenya, get in touch with us using the form below.

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Important Information

finder.com is an independent comparison platform and information service that aims to provide you with the tools you need to make better decisions. While we are independent, we may receive compensation from our partners for placement of their products or services. We may also receive compensation if you click on certain links posted on our site. While compensation arrangements may affect the order, position or placement of product information, it doesn't influence our assessment of those products. Please don't interpret the order in which products appear on our Site as any endorsement or recommendation from us. finder.com compares a wide range of products, providers and services but we don't provide information on all available products, providers or services. Please appreciate that there may be other options available to you than the products, providers or services covered by our service.